Last week, Secretary Teodoro Herbosa of the Department of Health (DOH) urged individuals to take advantage of the bivalent vaccines donated by Lithuania before they expire on August 31. While the vaccines were initially set to expire on July 31, Herbosa explained that the manufacturer had extended the shelf life until the end of August.
The DOH made the decision to make the COVID-19 bivalent vaccine available to the general public instead of just healthcare workers and senior citizens due to the slow rate of consumption. As of July, only 38 percent of the more than 390,000 donated doses had been used.
Those who have already received one booster shot can now receive this vaccine, which specifically targets the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
According to the DOH, the government has exceeded its vaccination target, with over 78.4 million individuals fully vaccinated as of March 20. Of this number, approximately 23.8 million have received the first booster shot, while 4.4 million have not yet received the second booster.
The significant number of fully vaccinated individuals may have created a sense of complacency, leading people to believe that they are adequately protected and no longer require additional shots. The decrease in COVID-19 cases and the lifting of the state of public health emergency may have further contributed to this perception and deterred people from getting vaccinated.
Misconceptions about vaccine safety, fueled by the Dengvaxia scare in 2018, may have also discouraged individuals from seeking immunization. Additionally, the requirement of a doctor’s prescription to purchase bivalent vaccines, announced by the Food and Drug Administration in July, may have further reinforced the perception of health risks associated with vaccines.
Before Herbosa’s appeal, most local government units (LGUs) had limited vaccine access to healthcare workers only, excluding senior citizens. It was only at the end of July that the availability of the vaccine for all individuals started to be publicized on social media.
It is disappointing that the DOH is now rushing to administer the bivalent shots before they expire, despite the low utilization rate of the vaccines. Couldn’t local officials have advised lifting restrictions earlier? This situation is unacceptable, especially considering the significant wastage of vaccines that occurred in December 2022, where 44 million doses went to waste.
Lawmakers estimated that taxpayers lost P15.6 billion due to unused and discarded vaccines, which included vaccines purchased by corporations for their employees. This wastage is particularly concerning given the current outstanding debt of the country, which breached the P12-trillion mark in January 2022 due to borrowing for pandemic response.
The safety and potency of vaccines with extended expiration dates also raise concerns. Although stability studies were conducted to ensure their long-term quality, these concerns continue to impact public trust in vaccines.
In June, the DOH was in talks with the COVAX facility to potentially receive two million additional doses of the same vaccines. It is crucial that measures are implemented to prevent a repetition of the previous vaccine wastage and ensure proper utilization of public funds.
Addressing vaccine hesitancy and misinformation remains a priority for the DOH. Accessible vaccine sites must be available, even in remote areas. Moreover, proper storage of heat-sensitive vaccines needs to be managed effectively, especially in light of frequent power interruptions.
It is also essential to grant LGUs more autonomy and discretion in addressing the health needs of their constituents. Trust in the DOH’s decision-making processes needs significant improvement, as there is still much to be desired despite progress in managing the COVID-19 crisis.
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